‘I wouldn’t have got through the X Factor auditions’
Jane Mcdonald has been singing for 20 years – but here she reveals she isn’t convinced Simon Cowell would be a fan
‘my new show, Jane and Friends, is like going back in time. It’s like the old
Cilla show in the 70s. Tony Hadley is coming on to perform because he’s just recorded a duet with me that I’ve written for my new album. I was thrilled.’
‘I love everything about Christmas. For me, it’s about family, love, and thinking back to when everybody was around. When I was younger, I really wanted a bike. My dad found an old bike frame and spent five months sanding it down and spraying it gold. Then, on Christmas Day, I got this bike. They bought me a new one when they got a bit more money and I didn’t like it – I wanted the boneshaker!’
‘This year I will be at home with a bottle of Baileys and everyone is coming to me. Do I cook? Do I heck! That’s my partner Ed’s department. But we’re a close family and we all join in, and it’s great to get everyone under one roof. However, I make everyone go home for 6pm! That’s the secret to a good family Christmas – don’t overstay the welcome!’
‘my diet has become a way of life for me now. I do stray a little bit at holiday time – I always have a bit of my mother’s awardwinning trifle, because life’s too short. I still have an odd drink, too. I do 80-20, so I am quite good with that.’ ‘my dad always said, ‘Have a plan B.’ So I went to night school and learnt secretarial work, which came in handy. My dad knew the bloke in the pub who was chucking this old piano out. We got it and I learnt to play from age seven. But ask me to sing or play in public and I used to throw up! So I became a DJ to overcome that – I started talking between songs, and then they couldn’t shut me up!’
‘People know my life story. I’ve been through heartache and loss, but then I’ve found new love again. So my new album is autobiographical. One track is called When I Look at You. I wrote this before I met my childhood sweetheart again – and I just knew I would meet someone and I would know that it was going to be right.’ ‘would I have done The X Factor? I wouldn’t get through the audition process! Simon Cowell would look at me and think, ‘No. Next!’ Because I’m not contemporary. I just sing it straight. I admire the youth coming up now because they’ve got all these vocal acrobatics they can do, whereas I’m just a belter.’
‘The Loose Women gang usually have a Christmas reunion, but I can’t make it this year because I’m absolutely fully booked! I’ve got one afternoon off and that’s it. I’ll use that afternoon to order the Christmas dinner and trim the tree – but I’ll be there in spirit.’
‘I break my new Year’s resolutions every year. I’m rubbish at them! The older I’ve got, the more I enjoy my life. All our youth seems to be spent in such angst – we worry ourselves silly when we’re younger. So now, I enjoy every moment of having my mother and a great partner. I’m at the happiest time of my life right now.’
‘will I ever retire? As long as I can do it, I’ll do it. I would like to get the work/ life balance right. I’ve never got it right – there’s always something you’re going to have to sacrifice. So I’d like to spend a bit more time at home.’
‘I’m at the happiest time of my life’